Since the September 11 attacks, the internet has emerged as a pillar of radical Islamist propaganda efforts against the United States by al-Qaeda and other groups. Extremist websites and chat forums provide radicals and sympathizers with moral and theological justification for acts of violence and terrorism, acts framed as legitimate self-defense against what is widely perceived as a U.S.-led campaign against Islam. The internet is also a platform for disseminating tactical, operational and strategic expertise, to include instructions on constructing explosives, analyses of battlefield lessons learned and discussions on targeting selection. Perhaps most importantly, the internet enables like-minded militants to associate and communicate anonymously in cyber social networks. This process reinforces their sense of purpose and duty and encourages solidarity with the greater cause. Up until recently, however, the overwhelming majority of extremist websites catered to Arabs and the Arabic-speaking Muslim community, with only a limited number of websites providing modest sections in English and other languages. This is no longer the case.
Led by the Islamic Army in Iraq, a host of English-language websites linked to Iraqi Sunni insurgent groups are on the forefront of efforts by militants to reach beyond their traditional support base and target foreign audiences, namely the American public, by providing English mirrors of their Arabic websites. The Islamic Army in Iraq is joined in this campaign by the Mujahideen Army, Ansar al-Sunnah, the al-Fataheen Army, the Islamic Front for Iraqi Resistance and the Islamic Resistance Movement in Iraq (HAMAS). These groups operate under the auspices of the Reformation and Jihad Front, an insurgent umbrella group that has been critical of al-Qaeda-linked militants in Iraq, especially the Islamic State in Iraq (
http://iaisite-eng.org ;
http://www.reformandjihadfront.org) ...
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